ATF: A Moment of Reflection Lost
by foggynite
Summary: Nathan is called to the hospital one night after midnight for two of his friends...


  
  
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Magnificent Seven ATF/AU  
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A Moment of Reflection Lost   
By foggynite  
  
Rating: PG, super-mild language  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them, they're not mine, please CBS/Trilogy/ etc. don't sue me... This universe is Mog's delightful creation and all the tidbits of information came from the wonderful fanfics on her page, especially Greenwoman's "Mile High in Denver" trilogy and Mog's own works.  
  
Note: This is my first fanfic, so please, be gentle. It's the product of too much NyQuil. I appreciate constructive criticism, but feel free to tell me if you don't like it.  
  
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Nathan Jackson unlocked the door to his cozy one-bedroom apartment while absently sifting through the day's mail. Snapping on the antique lamp set on a small table, he sighed as his living room was bathed in a hushed glow.   
  
Bills , bills, bills... He threw the mail on the kitchen island and shrugged out of his jacket, sinking into a well worn leather sofa. All his furniture was second hand, but lovingly cared for. His entire apartment was furnished with inexpensive antiques, and he was pleased to think of his belongings as having history and character.   
  
Growing up, his family hadn't been completely impoverished, but his parents worked hard to keep their heads above water. They hadn't had money to spare on brand new furniture, or designer labels.   
  
But Nathan wasn't bitter. Even with long hours and hardly any days off, his parents had let him know that he was loved and showered him with affection. He himself had worked hard to get where he was in life, and he was proud of his career. He wouldn't have appreciated everything as much if it was just handed to him.   
  
He sighed again as he stretched out along the couch and let his tense muscles relax. It was times like this that he really felt content, if bone weary.   
  
The week had been hectic for the entire office, with two major cases breaking only a day apart and developments cropping up in three others. Even JD, the speed demon typist, had struggled to get his paperwork in on time.   
  
Today, everyone left the ATF building late, and the seven unanimously decided to brave the Friday night crowd at the 'saloon' for some well deserved R & R. Only Nathan, Vin, and Chris kept the drinking to a minimum; the other four agents pursued their drunkedness with great zeal.   
  
Around ten, the medical expert had excused himself. When he left, they were watching Buck and Ezra boisterously debate the cultural significance of NASCAR racing. He knew the two could go on for hours, and it was his turn to call Rain for their weekly long-distance phone conversation. Her dormmate, Linda, usually had early classes during the week, so he wanted to catch Rain before her friend went to bed. Linda had already yelled at him twice for calling too late, and he didn't want to go through it again.   
  
With their busy schedule, he hadn't had a chance to call her until now, and he was eager to talk to her. They had only spoken on the phone three times since he had returned from the Florida Keys. He was in Rain withdrawal.   
  
It had been a little over a month since the TDS bust, but tonight was the first night that Ezra had crawled out of his depression and actually enjoyed himself with the guys. Nathan had been loathe to leave the witty bantering and cheerful arguments, but he was already feeling wretched for missing Rain's birthday during the two week bust.   
  
She had been understanding about his concern for Vin and Ezra, and upset about the missed occasion but didn't rebuke him, which made him feel even guiltier. He planned on presenting her with a beautiful mother-of-pearl necklace from the island and had made reservations at her favorite restaurant for the following week. She rarely had time off from college and her internship to visit, but he was driving up to see her just for that night.   
  
Reaching behind him, he dug around under a mass of medical journals that seemed to cover every available surface in his apartment and finally found his cordless phone. That and his kitchen appliances were his only concession to the modern age.   
  
Dialing eagerly, he laid back down as her roommate answered. He listened with disappointment when he found out that Rain had been assigned a ten page report on pancreatic diseases, due that Saturday before five. She and her classmates had established an all-night vigil in the dorm's main lobby, sharing texts and ideas. Linda, in a rare fit of niceness, offered to relay a message to call him if she took a break.   
  
He pushed the off button with a frown, and stared at the phone for a minute. Sleep was an option, but he wanted to be awake in case she called back soon. He decided to organize the papers strewn everywhere, starting with the coffee table since it was within easy reach.   
  
After two hours, he sat back and massaged his stiff neck. His stomach reminded him that the last thing he ate was the tacos Buck had been sent out for hours earlier. Wearily pulling himself up, he made his way to the fridge half-asleep. Surely he had some munchings and crunchings to assuage his growling stomach before he got back to sorting...   
  
But his snack was not to be. The trilling of his phone startled the handsome black man out of his quest and had him hurrying to dig the cordless out from under a stack of old RN magazines.   
  
He finally grabbed it on the fifth ring and answered. The caller didn't even bother to identify himself.   
  
"Buck 'n Ezra got themselves in a mess. We're waiting in the ER." Chris sounded pissed off and Nathan was instantly alert.   
  
"I'll be right there." The call was disconnected.   
  
He didn't think twice about running to his brothers-in-arms, barely wasting time grabbing his jacket and the keys to his Explorer. The call from Rain would have to wait until tomorrow night. Right now, his friends needed him.  
  
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JD paced violently back and forth on the worn carpet of the ER waiting lobby, the alcohol making him even more energetic than usual, if that was possible. He was ranting about Buck's intelligence level as Josiah sat calmly with a sombre expression, his glassy eyes the only indication he'd been drinking. Nathan entered mid-tirade.   
  
"-a damn fool is what he is! I can't leave him alone for five minutes without him gettin' in trouble! I tell him to stay put, and what does he do? He's just gotta play the hero! An' Ezra ain't no better, no matter what he says! Those two'll-" The distraught computer hacker finally noticed Jackson standing next to him. "Nathan! I'm glad you're here! You wouldn't believe what those two did!"   
  
"What's goin' on, JD? Where are they now?" Concern and alarm crept into his tone, an endless barrage of worst case scenarios playing through his head. But JD didn't notice, as he was definitely not sober and had worked himself up into a Highly Excited State.   
  
"I left 'em alone for not more'n five minutes, 'cuz I hadda run back inside for my hat, and next thing we hear is this almighty racket comin' from the alley outside..." JD trailed off suddenly and felt his head. "Aw, no! I went and forgot my hat again! Aw, jeez. I hope Inez'll keep an eye on it-"   
  
"JD!" Nathan gave the kid's shoulder a shake.   
  
"Where was I?" He looked confused and fell silent.   
  
"A racket in the alley?" The gentle pathologist was about to strangle the boy.   
  
"Oh, yeah! They-" He broke off again as Vin came from the admittance desk. His flushed face brightened at the thought of good news. "You hear anything yet?"   
  
The sharpshooter nodded a greeting to Nathan. "Paperwork's all done, but I gotta go back there and keep Ezra from hurtin' himself worse. He won't let any of the doctors near him." He gave Nathan's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Good thing you're here now. Can you keep an eye on these two?"   
  
Nathan nodded quickly, out of sorts and trying to process what was happening. Vin hurried off towards the double doors beyond the waiting room.   
  
"What about Buck?" JD called after him.   
  
"Chris's with him now. They're done puttin' on the splint, so they shouldn't be much longer," and he disappeared, leaving Nathan alone with a drunken JD and snoring Josiah. The kid shook his head and looked around.   
  
"I'm gonna go get a snack, Nate. Be right back." Before he could protest, the hacker was out the main entrance in search of the vending machines.   
  
"What the hell is going on?" He asked of no one in particular. The leg wound he had recieved on the TDS bust was still sore, so he sat down in the scratchy waiting room seat next to Josiah. The profiler's head was tilted at an awkward angle against his shoulder, and his mouth hung slightly open. His snores were a steady, reassuring background noise as Nathan wondered how he could sleep at a time like this.   
  
Nathan knew most of the nursing staff in the ER, due to either frequent visits or even local forensic seminars, so he didn't mind asking them for information. However, no one was behind the triage desk at the moment and the admissions nurse was busy, so he sat back and debated going to find a snack of his own when his stomach growled again.   
  
He was spared the decision as JD reappeared with two Snickers bars and handed him one with a grin. The kid sat down just as Vin held open the door for a pretty nurse and an unsteady Ezra. Their best undercover agent was holding a cold pack to the lower left side of his face and had asphalt burn on his right temple. Nathan jumped to his feet.   
  
"What happened?" He asked in alarm before anyone could speak. Vin looked at him in surprise.   
  
"You mean no one's told you yet?" The medical expert nodded vigorously as he reached out a steadying arm to Ezra. They got him settled in a chair and he leaned his bruised head back with a moan.   
  
"Please, Mr. Tanner, do not embarrass me further." The Southerner glared at the grinning sharpshooter, but the effect and his words were marred by the bulky ice pack covering his lower lip.   
  
"Heck, Ezra, we ain't never gonna let you guys live it down!" Vin's expression never faltered. Nathan was beginning to think that everyone had gotten drunk after he left.   
  
"Chris said they got themselves in a mess," he prompted the group, hoping for the full story. Vin took up the narrative.   
  
"Well, Nathan, it's like this: The three of 'em went outside to wait for the cabs to come, while we settled the tab. JD forgot that funny lookin' hat 'a his and came back in-"   
  
"My hat ain't funny-looking!" The hacker protested, but was ignored.   
  
"Well, we heard some banging and hollerin' out in the side alley of the likes to make a man think the world was endin', so course we went out to investigate. Turns out Buck had seen a scruffy little alleycat meowing from the bottom platform of the fire escape and decided to help the little feller out-"   
  
"Despite my vehement protests, I assure you," Ezra interjected with a glower, removing the cold pack the reveal little black stitches trailing across a busted lip. There was a huge lump on his jaw that had turned a rosy purple.   
  
"Oh come on, Ez, we all know you guys are just two big old softies! " JD teased with a smug smirk.   
  
"I would never have risked life an' limb for a mangy fleabag if I was not under the influence of too many martinis and in the company of an addle-pated altruist!" Ezra winced as he accidentally pinched his puffy lip, and JD guffawed.   
  
Whether from lack of food or lack of sleep, the unexpected story left Nathan looking at Vin uncomprehendingly. This didn't appear to be some dire accident requiring all their presences. Yet. The Texan continued.   
  
"All the crashin' about we heard was 'cause the old ladder was broken and Buck got it in his head to use the trash bin to get up there. He was so drunk, he kept falling down, so he talked Ezra into givin' him a boost... He mighta actually made it to the bars, but his foot slipped and he landed on top of Ez, who in turn landed on top of Buck's foot." Vin stopped to snicker, and Nathan gave an disbelieving snort. The gambler groaned and covered his face. JD was leaning against the wall, giggling his head off.   
  
"We get out there and Buck's lyin' in a heap of busted garbage bags, howlin' like a banshee that Ezra had busted his ankle, while Ezra's spittin' blood and tellin' him to shut up, 'cause he had elbowed him in the face. Then the damned cat hops down right next to them and walks off, while all they can do is stare at it like it grew another head. Hadda be just about the funniest sight I seen all year, 'cept that time Ezra had ta dress up in a skirt." Vin tried to keep his expression deadpanned when discussing their injuries, but he couldn't help himself. At this point, even Nathan laughed. Josiah continued to snore peacefully.   
  
"Are you quite finished, Mr. Tanner?" Ezra demanded.   
  
"Heck, no." Vin turned back to Nathan. "So we get the two of 'em in Chris's truck, Buck with his head hangin' out the window and moanin' like a bassett hound, and Ezra up front with a pink dishtowel in his mouth, bein' downright ornery. Turns out Buck's ankle just got sprained, but he made such a fuss the doc wrapped it up twice its size. Ezra, here, wouldn't let the nurse get near his lip, so me and Chris got called back there to keep 'em both in line."   
  
With the hound dog image Nathan began laughing hysterically and couldn't seem to stop, releasing all his anxiety and tension. JD was in a state of mirthful convulsions, his shoulders shaking while tears ran down his face. Still slightly inebriated, he fell against Josiah's shoulder. The profiler awoke with a start and looked blearily about.   
  
"Remind me, gentlemen -and I use the term loosely- to never leave my house again." Ezra crossed his arms and held the cold pack to his face in a thoroughly disgusted manner.   
  
At that moment, a grouchy Buck hobbled out on crutches, sending JD into a greater fit of convulsions. Chris followed and, noticing the general atmoshpere, half smirked.   
  
"What're y'all laughin' at?" Buck snapped, blushing scarlet.   
  
"These yokels have found our predicament decidedly amusing, oh great philanthropist," Ezra mumbled sarcastically around his ice pack.   
  
"Hey, I wasn't the one who launched me up there like sack of potatoes!" That irritated response sent JD to the floor. A few nurses looked over in concern.   
  
"Well, do me a favor; next time you see an animal in distress, wait until I am well away before attempting its rescue!"   
  
The three sober agents exchanged amused looks. Chris cleared his throat and tried to look serious.   
  
"I think it'd be best if we left now, boys." He pulled JD off the floor amd laid a stern grip on the back of Buck's neck, brooking no protest.   
  
"C'mon, Ezra, I'll give ya a lift home." Vin helped the grumbling Southerner to his feet.   
  
"I think I was safer with those horrid doctors than I'll ever be in your death trap. The only thing holding that jeep together is the dirt." Vin nudged him in the side with good humor, steadied his stagger, and began herding him to the door.   
  
"Y'all better sleep in tomorrow, and watch out for them cats!" Nathan called after them, getting dirty looks from the two would-be saviors and sending JD back into a another giggle fit.   
  
"You, friend, are supposed to be concerned with our health, not mocking it!" Ezra shot back. The teasing had only just begun.   
  
"See ya Monday." Chris gave them the team's two fingered salute and dragged JD out the door, while Buck hobbled behind.   
  
"You need a ride, Josiah?" Nathan turned to the big man, who was wrenching himself out of the chair with a mighty groan.   
  
"That'd be right kind of you, Brother Nate!" He gave his toothy grin and slung his arm over the smaller man's shoulders.   
  
As they were settling in Nathan's Ford Explorer, the missionary's son let out an evil chuckle.   
  
"What?" Nathan questioned with a grin.   
  
"I just can't wait until Monday."   
  
Buck and Ezra were gonna kill them.   
  
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Finis 9/25/99  
  
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